| HEALTH STATUS - Morbidity |
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Diabetes is a chronic condition and a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Complications from diabetes include loss of vision, kidney failure, heart disease, limb amputations, and nerve damage, conditions which can both shorten the life span and diminish the quality of life.
Among both men and women, the prevalence of diabetes increases with age. The rate of diabetes is nearly seven times higher in women aged 45-64 than females under 45 years, and more than ten times higher in women over 65 years than females under 45 years. Among persons aged 64 and younger the prevalence of diabetes is slightly higher among U.S. females than males. However, this trend is reversed in persons aged 65 and older, where men exhibit higher rates of the disease. Furthermore, the number of new cases of diabetes appears to be significantly greater in middle-aged men than in middle-aged women.
In 1996, women aged 45-64 were diagnosed with diabetes at a rate of 4.86 per 1,000 population, compared to a rate of 7.29 for men of the same age.
Black women have a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes than White women. In 1996, the rate in Black women was nearly double that of the rate in White women and 1.5 times the average for all women.
